San Francisco Museum to be Rebuilt - M.H. de Young Memorial Museum - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Art in America, April, 2001 by Stephanie Cash

The M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Franciso's oldest public museum, closed its doors for good, sort of, on Dec. 31. The museum will soon be torn down and a new facility, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, will rise in its place. The current complex of eight buildings, located in Golden Gate Park, was constructed between 1919 and 1965. After the buildings suffered earthquake damage in 1989, the museum could not make satisfactory repairs. Exterior steel braces were installed in 1994 as a temporary, and inadequate, measure. Because of the damage, the museum could not obtain insurance for loaned works. As a result, all traveling exhibitions for the past few years have been held at its sister museum, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in nearby Lincoln Park. The two institutions make up the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Admission to the de Young was free during its final week. On its last two days, the museum also held a 31 1/2-hour "marathon," which drew many first-time visitors to the museum. Some 70,000 guests drank, danced, took midnight docent tours, listened to lectures or explored the museum on their own.

The de Young has begun to deinstall its collection, and pieces of the architecture will be cut up for souvenirs. Demolition is scheduled for early 2002. The 70 museum employees will be given the option to keep their jobs, working at either the Legion or one of the storage areas where the de Young collection will be catalogued.

Over $142 million has already been raised for the new building, surpassing the capital campaign goal of $135 million. The new museum is expected to open in 2005. It will contain 91,620 square feet on three levels, 72,000 of which is gallery space. Though the museum will increase in overall size, it will occupy a smaller footprint on the site, restoring almost two acres of public park. Included in the plans is a special room to house the Gottardo Piazzoni murals, which were removed from their original home in the old public library by the Asian Art Museum. The move resulted in a nasty legal battle between preservationists and the Asian [see "Front Page," Feb. '00], which is relocating to the renovated library building in fall 2002. (The Asian, which currently is in the same building as the de Young, is closing in October.)

While work is under way, a collection of 85 American paintings from the de Young will embark on an international tour beginning this fall at the Pitti Palace in Florence. The de Young is still busy acquiring works, and recently announced the purchase of the complete archive of graphic works by Ed Ruscha. Selections will be on view at the Legion from May 26 to Sept. 9.